Overhead track switch operating lever



Sept. 13, 1949. A? ARL 2,481,822

OVERHEAD TRACK SWITCH OPERATING LEVER Filed July 19, 1946 J.A.CARLSEN I meat food products track section I Patented Sept. 13, 1949 Y OVERHEAD TRACK swrron OPERATING V: LEVER John A. Carlsen, Winona, Minn. Application July 19, 1946, Serial No. 684,912

(Granted under the act of -March 3, 1883, as amended April-30, 1928; 3700. G. 757) 7 Claims.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended by the act of April 30, 1928, and the invention herein described, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This'invention relates to a hand-operated lever device for switches on overhead tracks. It is particularly designed to operate on overhead tracks for travelers employed to suspend and convey and the like.

' The object of my invention is to provide a switch-operating means which operates easily and quickly from any height with a short upward or downward stroke of a control rod, can be attached directly to standard switches, can be lengthened or widened in any direction to assure clearance of the control rod from the material suspended from the track, and which is certain in operation. I

I attain these objects by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a view of the switch-operating means in open switch position.

Figure 2 is a view of the device in closed switch position.

The switch maybe of any conventional design. That shown in the drawings comprises a straight and a curved section'2 for controlling a diverging route. Thecurved-section .2 is attached to .plate 3 which is pivoted at 4. The straight section I pivots on bracket 5. Upon closing the switch, that is, upon moving the straight section downwardly to theleft in Figure 1, projecting cam 6 attached thereto isintroduced into. '1 aperture 1 in the plate 3. The surface of the cam 'bears against an edge of the. aperture, causing the curved section to rotate about its pivot. To raise the straight section the arm 8 is rotated downwardly. Toward the end of its downward movement the arm engages the edge of the plate 3 and pushes it back into the position shown in Figure 1, locking it in that position. The arm 8 may be integral with a switch element as shown in the drawing, or it may be removably attached thereto. Rigidly attached to arm 8 is a curved bar 9, carrying a bolt stud I0, which stud may also serve to attach the bar to the arm 8. The means for raising and lowering the arm and bar comprise a lever I I pivoted at I 2 on fixed rod I 3, which rod is bent for convenience in operation, a second lever I4 to operate the first lever, pivotd at I5 on the same fixed rod, and a control rod I6 to push or pull the second lever. Lever II is bifurcated at the left end to provide a finger I! which engages and holds the stud I0 in the position shown in Figure 2. The upper art I8 of the bifurcated end carries a swivel eye I 9 rotatably mounted thereupon. Upon movement of the left part of lever II downwardly the swivel eye slides downwardly upon curved bar 9, forcing it downward. 1 The operation is as follows: Figure 1 shows the curved track section 2 in place and the straight track section I raised. Upon pushing the control rod I6 upwardly lever I4 bears downwardly against the rightarm of lever II, through a stationary eye thereon. The left part of lever II is thereby raised, causing the swivel eye I9 to slide to the left and upwardly upon the curved bar. During this upward motion the finger I'I engages the stud ID to assure complete closing of the switch,.in the position shown in Figure 2. I

Figure 2 shows the straight track section I lowered into place. To raise this section'and rotate the curved section into place, the control rod is pulled down. The parts may be so proportioned that a travel of 4 inches will sufiice to open or close the switch. Upon pulling the control rod, the left part of lever II is moved down, pushing the stud ID, the ward. Upon further movement of the lever the curved edge of part I8 of the bifurcated end slides downward and to the right, eventually disengaging with the stud. At this point, the swivel eye I9, which rotates on a bolt in the end of lever- I I, slides downwardly and backwardly on the curved bar9, forcing the latter downward to complete the raisingof the straight track section to the positionshown in Figure 1.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An overhead track switch operating apparatus for moving a track section into and away from track connecting position, comprising a pivotally mounted arm, operably connected to the track section to move it as aforesaid; a bar rigidly attached to said arm at an angle thereto at a point removed from the pivot of the latter, said bar having a concave surface directed toward the upper surface of the arm, and a convex surface opposite the concave surface; a lever mounted upon a fixed pivot and operably connected to rotate said arm and bar about the pivot of the arm; means for moving the said lever about its pivot, said lever having a bifurcated end providing a lower finger and an upper portion having an out- ,wardly convex end surface; a member mounted on said upper portion, said member having means that bears upwardly against and slides along the arm 8, and curved bar 9 down- 7 convex surface of the arm during upward movement of the bifurcated end and which bears downwardly against and slides along the concave surface of the arm during downward movement ,of the bifurcated end; a stud attached to the bar :and arm ,unit atonadjacentto. the juncture of the bar and larmnsaids lever, arm,sand-*ibar being; so positioned that the lower finger bears upwardly against the stud when the bifurcated lever end is moved upwardly, and being so positioned that, upon downward movement of the-said bifurcated lever end, the convex end surface thereof rides on the stud pushing it downwardlyiuntil reached at which the stud and bifurcated end are no longer in contact, whereupori thesaidmeans -1;r

bears upon and. slides upon the concave surface of the bar, forcing the latter downwardly to complete the movement of the:arnt,;s;aidmean upwardly against bar in the initial part esaid-ibifurcatedtend. v

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upwardly and downwardly ndfizoperahlysieonnectedito lraiseaandjlowerfithentnacl section as Sibeal' I the convex'surfaceof ':the hi the upward movement of 0 'aivlowem fingemavhiclriengagesr aforesaid; a bar rigidly connected to said armat an angle thereto and at a point removed from the pivot of the arm; said upper and lower cam surfaces one of which is a concave surface facing toward the pivot of the arm; a leverpperably connected to turn said arm and zbaniabout the pivobfof tthe Earm;::said lever having adjacent one end means which slidably sengages the said concave surface to move the bar downwardly upon 'downwar L-Jlever ehdaiahdto' slidably engagethe second of said cam surfaces -aupwardmovement of said lever end. V

,- z iexteiidingzlaterally away from the track section;

"and' a manually operable second lever pivoted uporr said fr frnm saidztrackisection than the pivot of the first lever; the second lever being operably connected alto-turn thefirstlever.

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m'ngzan end-gofcthe secondzleverzdownxandi for :pILISh-z; 25 "connectmgerposi'bionf 95 9 3 11 lPillOtCdarm movable sipwardlynand-ldown wiandly,

' and operably connectedttowraiserthe track section track rsectionp upon .movement upwardlya a bar rigidly connected torsaid-arm ataneanglathereto and at aipoint removed fromithapivot offythe arm;

,..surfaces one of whichiis a concavegsurface facing toward the pivotofthearmt.avlever operablyioon- 7 7 nected.

: engagathe.secondrofasaidl camvsur facesstoamcve lever end; andmeansmountedad-jacentrthejunctionnoffl.

said lever end upon upward gn vementslof-t the s1everiend. r V v v 7 1A JOHN A. CARLSEN;

"cnsrnmmolssronrnnx :arif hemfollowingaeferermes are of 'ifi flthe 1L Number bar being provided with d movement o'fsaid1 to move the bar upwardly upon 7 6.The apparatus of claim 5, and a fixed bracket the ,said lever being pivoted upon said bracket;

:hracketgat a point farther removed said bar being provided with npperlandlewerseam Y thearnnandwbarv which intrlocksv-with V 

